Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic against the Golden State Warriors during an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 53.66 DK - 58.45
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 29.19 DK - 33
The Pacers are coming off an epic game on Tuesday and there was a reason we gave Tyrese Haliburton as our top option heading into that one. A ridiculous 157-152 (in regulation) win over the Hawks will do that and Hali finished with 37 points and 16 assists, going completely nuke in the third quarter on the way to the W.
Not as good matchup here against the Raptors but the Pacers still have one of the highest totals on the slate for a reason.
Meanwhile, Buddy Hield got the start over Bennedict Mathurin on Tuesday and made good use of it, going 9-11 from the field and 6-6 from three in 31 minutes. That’s out-of-the-box efficiency that isn’t likely to be replicated, but starting and playing minutes in the 30s is a recipe for value at his current price points. He’s an especially good FanDuel bargain.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 51.02 DK - 56.16
The game to really keep an eye on tonight is the Hornets and Wizards who come in with the highest over/under on the slate at 242.5. I don’t think we see the same heights as Hawks-Pacers, but this one should be up and down the court with little to no defense as well.
LaMelo Ball has been locked into about a 36-37 minute rotation of late and over the last month is averaging 29 points, eight assists, and 5.5 rebounds while also adding some defensive stats as well. He’s in the same tier as Haliburton and choosing between them on this slate could be tough.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 26.39 DK - 27.38
Jaden McDaniels is going to miss some time and it looks like Nickeil Alexander-Walker will draw the start in his place. It’s a big-time downgrade on the defensive end, but NAW does have a bit more in his offensive bag. He filled in for McDaniels last game after the injury, taking eight shots in 33 minutes, and finishing with 11 points and three rebounds.
Uninspiring? Sure. But for this big slate we are looking for cheap plays we can lock into big minutes. He fits the bill from that perspective.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 44.93 DK - 47.5
Miles Bridges has returned to the starting lineup for the Hornets and appears locked into big-time minutes going forward. He ran 40 in regulation on Monday against Boston and with the overtime finished with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and five assists. And he even ran bad from the field, going 3-13 and 2-7 from three.
The price has ticked up with the minutes increase, but it’s not really enough especially in this matchup. Washington is running the league’s fastest pace and playing the fourth-worst defensive efficiency. That’s the sweet spot when rostering DFS guys.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 41.2 DK - 43.91
Mikal Bridges hasn’t started this season the way he finished off the last one at all with some shooting struggles while also ceding shots when Cam Thomas was in the starting lineup. But here against Atlanta he’s coming at a discount on FanDuel and I think we can run him in cash.
The minutes should be in the 35-36 range if the game is close and he had averaged 23.6 points in the three games prior to the loss to Philly. Getting Atlanta on the second half of the back-to-back track meet from last night helps as well.
I’m still holding out some hope that Brandon Miller (FD 5800 DK 5300) puts it all together for a big game. He’s certainly cheap enough on DraftKings to take the risk.
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 62.79 DK - 67.2
The big question for tonight, I think, will be whether to spend up on the guards I mentioned above or to roll again with Nikola Jokic. The Joker has been very highly owned since Jamal Murray left the lineup with injury, and it’s mostly paid off. He got buzzed last game with an ejection after arguing with the refs, but should be back strong here against the Magic.
It’s not a fantastic matchup seeing as how Orlando has the second-best defensive efficiency and a bottom-third pace. But this is Jokic we are talking about and no player has a higher fantasy floor on a night-to-night basis.
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 43.11 DK - 45.59
In just 29 minutes against the Kings on Monday, Zion Williamson went for 26 points on 12-16 shooting from the field. He’s starting to really turn it on of late and we could be looking at the beginning of a return to what we’ve seen from him in the past. If that’s the case, then the FanDuel price is too low seeing as how he’s rolling it back against Sacramento tonight. If the game stays close (the last one didn’t) then mid-30s and big upside is in his range of outcomes.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 30.09 DK - 30.36
Can we actually trust Daniel Gafford’s minutes? I’d love to be able to with this matchup and his production on a per-minute basis. He’s played 27 and 28 in the last two games, averaging 12 points and six rebounds. Plus, you know he’s a candidate to pile on blocks when things are going right. On DraftKings at just $4200 I think you can definitely take the risk with the understanding that he’s unlikely to kill you even with minutes in the lower-20s if it happened. On FanDuel, it’s much closer.
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